16 famous athletes who you forgot were Olympic medalists

Over the decades, many of the greatest athletes the world has ever known have graced the Olympic stage with their talents. Some are bursting onto the scene for the first time; taking their first step on the pathway to greatness and success. Others still, are already world-renowned when they take their Olympic bow.

Here are 16 athletes that achieved so much over the course of their careers, that you could be forgiven for forgetting that they were once Olympic medalists.

Ronda Rousey | USA | Judo

MMA champion and action movie star Ronda Rousey became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo when she took bronze at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. (Getty)

Andre Agassi | USA | Tennis

Tennis great Andre Agassi won a gold medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. (Getty)

Joe Frazier | USA | Boxing

The late, great “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world from 1970 to 1973. Before that, he was a gold medalist at the 1964 Summer Olympics, when he was sent as a last-minute replacement for the injured Buster Mathis. (Getty)

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Jake Arrieta | USA | Baseball

Former Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (Getty)

Stephen Strasburg | USA | Baseball

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the lone collegiate player chosen for the United States national team at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. He helped pitch the U.S. to a bronze medal and was drafted number one overall in the Major League Baseball Draft the following year. (Getty)

Matt Kuchar | USA | Golf

After the sport was reinstated to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, seven-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar won the bronze medal in golf at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. (Getty)

Floyd Mayweather Jr. | USA | Boxing

Before holding multiple world titles across five different weight classes, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty)

Roy Oswalt | USA | Baseball

During a 12-year MLB career, Roy Oswalt played for the Colorado Rockies, the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. Before making his major league debut in 2001, the three-time All Star pitcher also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. (Getty)

George Foreman | USA | Boxing

Two-time heavyweight champion and entrepreneur George Foreman won an Olympic gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, defeating the Soviet Union’s Jonas Cepulis in just two rounds. (Getty)

Cassius Clay | USA | Boxing

Before he was Muhammad Ali, icon and heavyweight champion, he was Cassius Clay, an 18-year-old amateur who won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. (Getty)

Kurt Angle | USA | Wrestling

Before he became an actor, pro wrestler and WWE star, Kurt Angle was a heavyweight wrestling gold medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. (Getty)

Serena Williams | USA | Tennis

Tennis great Serena Williams is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, having won doubles at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Games as well as a lone medal in singles at the 2012 Games. (Getty)

Venus Williams | USA | Tennis

Like her younger sister, Venus Wiliams also has four Olympic gold medals, having won doubles in 2000, 2008 and 2012, as well as singles honors at the 2000 Games. The elder Williams sister also has a lone silver medal in mixed doubles from the 2016 Games in Rio. (Getty)

Jim Thorpe

All around athletic great Jim Thorpe won gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics. However, the versatile Thorpe, who would go on to play professional football, baseball and basketball, was controversially stripped of his Olympic titles, after it was found out he’d violated the strict rules regarding amateurism that were in place at the time. (Getty)

Neymar | Brazil | Soccer

At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, soccer megastar Neymar played the key role in inspiring Brazil to the one major honor that had eluded it over the years when he helped the Selecao claim Olympic gold on home soil. (Getty)

Lionel Messi | Argentina | Soccer

Lionel Messi has amassed more individual and club honors than just about anyone in the history of soccer. However, the list of his international triumphs with Argentina is surprisingly short, consisting merely of a U-20 World Cup win in 2005 and a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (AP)